Andronicus
by The Karnstein
Summary: After the end of Lacrimosa, the history of Nosgoth is changed forever. One woman's actions doomed Nosgoth's future, but what price must be paid for altering the past?
1. Prologue

**Andronicus**

_Author's Note: This is the sequel to my Legacy of Kain fanfiction, __**Lacrimosa**__. Because this fanfiction includes original characters and several alterations from Blood Omen 2, you will have to read the first fanfiction to understand this one better. Thank you to everybody who stayed with me. This is for you._

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><p><strong>PROLOGUE<strong>

Her home had always been humble and comfortable; a place for meditation, solitude and peace. As she was no fan of the ever changing weather in the canyons, it was no easy feat for The Seer to find new lodgings for herself. Eventually she had made a very deep cavern her new dwelling, but it had not the warmth and comfort of her former home. Unfortunately, she had her doubts about her life being comfortable again any time soon.

After sending Kain away to the Device, she took it upon herself to exit her burning home to confront her attackers. As his body faded away into nothingness, she turned on her heel to face the front door and thrust her arms forward. The force of her telekinetic powers channeled through her arms and blasted it's way across the room, causing the entire front of the house to explode in a fiery rain of burnt wood and furniture. This sudden explosion caused the Sarafan soldiers to duck and take cover, dodging the planks of wood and other debris as it flew at them. As they recovered, they saw the Seer standing in what once was her doorway, glaring hard at the leader.

The Sarafan Lord did not flinch. He gave no order, as though he knew what was about to happen before it even did. In their panic, the women armed with crossbows took aim at the Seer. She didn't even need to turn her attention to them. Just as the arrows took flight, they snapped in half in mid flight and the ignited tipped ends of the arrows flew back at them. In a collection of screams and cries, the women fell to the ground, clutching their breasts, stomach and faces. The oil from the from the arrowheads spread across their skin at an unnatural speed, and yet the flames seemed to be taking their sweet time killing them. The armed soldiers went sprinting pass the burning bodies of their female comrades, swords drawn, prepared to cut the witch down where she stood. The first two who made it within three meters of the Seer came to a sudden halt, like a dog caught on a leash. Their bodies bent backwards as their hearts burst from their chests and dropped to the ground. The two remaining soldiers stopped in their tracks, gaping and screaming at the sight before them.

The Seer hadn't even touched them. Her eyes remained fixed on the Sarafan Lord. His glowing eyes burned back into hers.

"You know better than to send these dogs after one such as I." she said, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"You know why I am here." The Sarafan Lord growled.

"Kain." was her immediate response. "He has been sent away from here. His fate lies along a different path. As does hers."

At that moment, the Sarafan Lord lifted the Soul Reaver, aiming the sword directly at the creature before him. This motivated the two remaining soldiers to charge at her again. Their confidence in their leader was met with great disappointment. The same telekinetic force that destroyed the Seer's home had been recreated and this time crashed into both men. They flew through the air and smashed against the walls of the towering canyons. Their broken bodies collapsed onto the ground, not yet dead. The Seer had no intention on letting them die quickly.

"Your treachery will not go unpunished, Seer." The Sarafan Lord took a step towards her. The Seer flinched, preparing for either an attack or a hasty retreat. As powerful as she was, the Soul Reaver could cut her down with no effort. "Where have you sent them?"

At that question, she smiled. "It matters not where I sent them. I feel that things, for a time being, shall work in your favor." Her grin grew wider. "...But make no mistake, your future is not looking so bright. You've made some powerful enemies. And then shall cut you down."

The Soul Reaver hummed with energy before a projectile fired it's way towards the Seer. Anticipating this attack, the Seer's body dissolved away. The projectile hit what was left of her burning home, demolishing it.

Much had changed since that fateful night. It all began, many days after sending Kain away, when she felt that strange shift in the air. As if the world had begun to crumble and tremor like a failing human heart. She fell to her hands and knees, gripping the rocky floor and feeling the change pulse through her. Energy channeled up from her arms and into her mind, flooding her with images and faces she had yet to meet.

Six men, all of different rank and stature, seemingly dead yet very much alive. Vampires...

The corpse or remains of a creature she had never seen before: blue, winged, with glowing white eyes and a strange, glowing arm...

A creature with green skin and flowing silver hair, wielding the Soul Reaver. Another vampire? Or something more.

She saw the sky of Nosgoth, bursting with green light and fire. From it came the monsters of Nosgoth's past. Though their bodies were skeletal and demonic, she knew her own kin when she saw them, just as she recognized an invasion when she saw one.

She saw a hidden place far from here, and the place it would soon become centuries later. A citadel, run by a family and a collection of warriors. She saw their faces, knew their reasons for being there, and yet their futures were nothing to her but shadows.

And last, a face she recognized all too well. That strange human woman, in the center of the chaos. Her appearance was different from before, but it was absolutely the same person. Lady Holly, the widow of the later Sir Vladmir Angela.

The tremors stopped. The world came to an uneasy halt, neither peaceful nor completely dead. Her body collapsed onto the cavern floor, her eyes wide and bulging. And she knew exactly what had happened.

"...That human," she whispered, and her shock slowly melted into a deranged happiness. "She never gave them the stone... the gate is still open."

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><p>She had no intention on leaving her cavern for the next few days. Everything that happened was everything her new visions had anticipated. The gate was wide open, and she felt the vile presence of her people flooding into this dying world. It did not take long afterwards when the Hylden woman felt a strange new presence in her home. She did not bother to face her unwelcomed visitors. She knew who they were, and why they were there.<p>

"You felt it, did you not?" Vorador's familiar voice echoed throughout the cavern. "The time stream, reshuffling itself."

The Seer moved her hands to her temples, massaging them with her fingertips as though to rid herself of the most unpleasant of headaches.

"She told me that you sent her to me." the second person spoke, and this one was older and more experienced. She had not anticipated a visit from _the_ Janos Audron. "She trusted your foresight. She put her trust in me. Why did she not return? Did you know this was going to happen?"

The Seer chuckled for a moment before turning to see the two vampires. The memories of the past few days rushed through her mind. Holly's refusal to return to Sanctuary had sent the vampires into a frenzy. Kain had left the resistance and infiltrated the Wharves of his own will. He never returned, nor did he return any of the whispers sent to him from Vorador. Despite the odds, the older vampire believed Kain to be alive. Even when the Hylden army poured into Meridian, prompting the first of many battle between Hylden, Sarafan, and vampire, Vorador and Janos knew he was alive. He was merely feeding them to the wolves during his own quest for revenge.

"She found a Time Streaming Device." was the Seer's response. "The human is stubborn, ignorant of what her actions have caused."

"How did she know where to find a Time Streaming device?" Vorador noticed shortly after asking the uncomfortable shifting of his sire. His eyes widened as her turned to face Janos. "You told her where to find one, Janos?"

"He lied to her." was the Seer's response. "He thought if he could promise her the chance of saving the lives of the men Kain would kill in the Wharves that she would close down the Ward Gates."

Janos glared hard at the woman before him. It was a mistake and it cost him greatly. Clearly he was not the only person who broke promises if it meant achieving a personal goal.

"You needn't fear..." the Seer chuckled. "She is merely taking a detour towards our goal. It is no deliberate act of treachery."

At this, Vorador approached the witch. He stopped a short distance away from her and looked her directly in the eye. "Can you see into the past, Seer? Do you know what she plans to do?"

At that, the Seer placed her hand on Vorador's chest. "I see all, but there are dark places in the time stream that are unknown to me. I fear that history may be altered again and again. Everything that leads to this moment is uncertain to me... but she now plays a crucial part in our history."

At this Janos also approached her. When Holly had come to him, he had expected her to be a human that could be used and easily discarded when she was no longer of any use to them. As immoral as he felt about it, the reality of the situation was clear to him: when she handed over the Nexus Stone, even if he protested, she would be at the mercy of Kain and probably would not have lasted long. He never expected her to be such a monumental part of Nosgoth's destruction or salvation.

"Who is she?" Janos asked. "...What has she become now?"

The Seer closed her eyes, focusing on the flow of the time stream and paying close attention to the images rummaging through her mind.

_"She is..."_


	2. Chapter 1

**Andronicus**

Something went wrong. She felt it as soon as she twisted the handles and she knew it was too late to turn back.

Electricity sparked within the orb, smoke gathered within the room, and Holly felt her body lift from the ground. Despite everything she had been through, defying gravity took her completely by surprise and out of instinct, her hands lunged for the handles on the orb. Her fingertips were met by the bolts from the orb and her body flew backwards in mid air.

She expected to hit the wall. She didn't expect to hover over the floor, ten feet in the air as the smoke and electricity surrounded her completely.

_This was a bad idea... agh-!_

It felt as if someone had taken a scapel and driven it into the back of her neck. Her hands flew to her head, her mouth open wide in a silent scream of agony. The splitting pain began to travel upward, over the top of her skull, slowly and sharply making it's way over her forehead. It was too horrible for Holly to process a single thought. The pain seemed to be burning it's way into her head, and then into her very mind. She fisted two handfuls of her hair, her nails digging deep into her scalp.

She felt as though she were on fire. Her body thrashed, side to side, twisting in midair and yet getting nowhere. Her legs kicked frantically as pain shot up her spine and branched out through her body. Her eyes squeezed tight, tears streaming down her face. A ringing built up in her eyes, humming at first before growing increasingly louder. It was unspeakable, as if her skin were being peeled off and her mind was falling apart. Her heart was beating so quickly as if it were going to burst out of her chest.

What was happening? What had she done? She couldn't shake this horrible feeling that she had made a grave mistake, one that seemed larger than endangering her own life. She needed to escape. She needed this horror to end. She was going to die in here.

Against all odds, she forced her left hand to stop pulling at her hair and it latched onto the stone on her chest. The Nexus Stone, the stone she had stolen from the Industrial Quarter, the stone that she was supposed to give to Kain. Using a small amount of glyph energy, the stone was able to transport her from one location to another by her command. She sucked in a desperate breath of air before screaming the first place that came to mind:

"THE...KEEP!"

The stone began to glow... but her pain only increased. It felt as though the stone itself was now burning into her chest. Her hand gripped it tighter than ever, incapable of breaking free. It felt as though her skin were stuck to it, like flesh on a hot coal. She hadn't the strength to scream. Her eyes fluttered open but rolled back into their sockets. Her body convulsed, her mouth gasped for air and yet she could not breathe. All went black within a matter of moments.

But within this blackness came something new. There was no voice, just an understanding of things. As if her instincts were telling her things she was otherwise incapable of knowing for herself.

_Bringing the Nexus Stone with her was a mistake._

_The Hylden Gate was still open._

_There was a war in her homeland. A three way war. Humans, vampires, and Hylden..._

_A great change was coming. A terrible and wonderful change, and it would come at a price._

She had not the strength to consider anything she had come to learn. Just as soon as she received the information, her thoughts quieted. All the pain seemed to go away. Everything went silent.

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><p><strong>"...Who is she, my lord?"<strong>

**"You said you found her in the Time Streaming Device. Did she come from another time?"**

**"How was she able to operate the device?"**

**"What is that stone?"**

**"Look! She's coming to!"**

Voices, unfamiliar to her. Her body was still and lifeless and the pain seemed to flow through her. It wasn't as horrible as it had been, but the stinging and burning sensation radiated throughout her mind, body, and senses. Sight and sound were now unbearable. Her eyes watered as soon as they opened. The brightness of wherever she was now was just too intense.

"Woman, can you hear me?" a hand touched her face but she was too exhausted to speak or react to it. She couldn't even tell if the voice was male or female.

"She's so pale. And look at these strange clothes. In what era of Nosgoth did women wear these, my lord?"

"In no era in Nosgoth did women wear these. Unless this is the fashion your grandchildren have to look forward to."

"Is she from the future?"

Another hand touched her. This time it was on the forehead. She could not make out the faces for the life of her. All the shapes in the room or wherever she was were just blurs and shadows.

"Hmm... somehow I doubt that the white hair is a fashion statement from her time."

_...White hair? That can't be right... I've always been blonde. A graying blonde... but a blonde..._

Her eyes blinked. She was actually capable of forming thoughts and understanding words. Maybe now she could move, even if it was just her eyelids.

"Look, she's reacting again." that voice, it belonged to a woman. Another shadow leaned over her. "Madam... can you hear me?"

It took another moment for her to move her lips. No sound came from them just yet. Her mouth was dry. Realizing this, the shadowy figure left her only to return with something. She felt cool metal against her lips followed by instructions to drink. Someone slowly lifted her up and held her head. She willed her muscles to drink the liquid, little by little, careful not to choke. The last thing she needed was to drown after everything that happened. When the liquid was consumed completely, Holly hung her head and stared blankly down at her lap.

Had she gone mad? She felt mad. Her thoughts and feelings were completely numb. She couldn't even speak the last time she tried. Perhaps she should try again.

"Madam... what is your name?"

Old paranoia began to sink in. She remembered that she was a woman who survived strictly by protecting the identity and whereabouts of her daughters and herself.

Her daughters. Magdalena. Lilianna. Were they safe?

More importantly, would they be in danger if she revealed her name to these strangers? Vorador knew they were linked to her once he had her name.

"_Helen_." it was low and quiet, but not hard to decipher. She felt someone holding her hand.

"Madam Helen... you are in the Sarafan Stronghold. You are safe here."


	3. Chapter 2

**Andronicus**

The infirmary felt more like a ward for lunatics. Completely dettached from both her caretakers and fellow bedridden patients. There were at least six other people in the room with her, twelve including the physicians and healers, and yet they all felt eons away from her. Too far away for her to see, hear, or even sense their very presence. The healers of the Sarafan Stronghold had done all that they could to rehabilitate her, and strangely enough she barely remembered a thing.

Throughout the healing process, she lay in a state between consciousness and unconsciousness. Was she dreaming? Was it real? Were these people who hovered over her just images in her mind? How long had they been at it? She remembered a man holding up her hand for a female healer to see. The healer screamed at the sight of Holly's scarred fingertips. Her fingernails never grew back. There was only so much the Seer could restore with her magic, but damaged nail beds were not included. Nor were the scars that the healers discovered when they disrobed her. Every inch of her body was covered in countless scars.

There were even voices from time to time. In her dazed state, Holly unintentionally tuned most of their chatter out, but every now and then some would catch her attention.

"Bite marks... did she really fight a vampire?"

"In all likeliness, she was the prisoner of one."

"He kept her alive rather than drain her... but why?"

"The beasts must have wanted to break her. Perhaps they succeeded..."

"By the Gods, how did she survive any of this?"

_How indeed..._

In the end, the healers had managed to bring her out of her hazy, lifeless state. But even then, something _did_ feel broken. She could consume food, her legs were strong enough to walk, and if she wanted to she could have some form of conversation, but there was still that emptiness. A void; lifeless, missing, gone forever. And over an unknown amount of time in the infirmary, it transitioned from numbness to overwhelming grief.

She had done something terribly wrong. She wasn't sure what it was, but she could feel it with her entire being. Something was not right, something could never be undone, and it was her fault.

_I think I liked you better when you had an excuse for your mental breakdowns, old girl. At least then you could make sense of this sadness..._

Her hand moved up from her lap and into her messy hair. She was sitting up in her bed, the sheets around her hips and legs. It felt as though nothing could break her from this lull. So much had changed in such a short period of time. This lingering feeling that she had made a fatal mistake was draining her emotionally as well as physically. The only thing worse than making a mistake was not even knowing what you did wrong, let alone what will happen because of it.

_You're going to pull your hair out if you tug on it so hard. Don't tell me you're this upset over your new look._

"It's hideous." the sound of her own voice almost frightened her. It echoed throughout the room, causing a few patients to stir in their beds. Her large eyes shifted in their direction, her body tense from the initial shock of the echo. Only when they settled did she finally relax.

_Yes, it is hideous. _

Before she had slipped into this sadness, she damn near gave herself a heart attack after looking in a mirror for the first time since her arrival in this new place. Her hair went from it's graying blonde to pure white. The only explanation she had for this strange occurence would have been the truama and agony that came with time travel. If that was indeed the case, she was confident that her hair became even whiter due to the truama and agony she endured by looking into a mirror. Despite everything that she had survived, this was the closest she looked to being a corpse. White hair, pale skin, all of her scars; if she still had her wrinkles and lines from before her encounter with the Seer, she would have looked like an old witch.

_But that's not the reason you can't sleep tonight. What are you feeling? Talk it out. You'll know if it makes sense or not._

"Talk it out..." her voice was lower this time, too quiet to cause another echo. "I broke a promise. Even if it was one made to a vampire, it's nothing I like doing... I'm hundreds, maybe thousands of years in the past, for all I know. Far away from my children... did I abandon them? What are they doing in my absence? With the Hylden Gate still open..." she bit down on her lip. Her throat was straining. "The Hylden Gate is still open... because I still have the Nexus Stone."

Her hand moved to her chest and again her eyes went big. Of course they removed the stone. Why on earth would they allow her to have it while they were tending to her?

_Where the bloody hell did they take it?_

In this instance of panic, Holly lept to her feet. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room enough to see faint outlines of beds, but there was nothing in the room that looked like a place to store clothing or belongings. Which meant they were in another room. Possibly with her clothes (if they hadn't thrown them away) and her weapons.

If it had only been her weapons, she would have went back to bed and waited until morning. But the Nexus Stone was gone. The very reason she fled to this time was missing. And if getting it back meant spending the entire night searching for it in this strange place, she was going to find it.

Without a second thought, Holly moved her way through the infirmary, found the door in the dark, and began her search.


	4. Chapter 3

**Andronicus**

She wasn't sure if it was late at night or very early in the morning. The infirmary did not have windows and the torches that lined the walls of the citadel were all put out.

Torches. Not gas lights, not even the glow of glyph energy. _Torches. _

That's how she knew she was truly in another time. The architecture, the clothing, even the way the people in the ward spoke were off-putting, but the technology being so primitive had her convinced. She had traveled through time, but what time period was it?

And yet, this small detail stirred something within her. Torches instead of glyph energy meant that, for better or for worse, she had accomplished what she set out to do: she traveled back in time. And now it was time to see her mission through. When she was healed completely, she would have to set off on this journey. But if the technology was so old, she knew that the weaponry would be as well. Her cannon and fire-thrower would be wildly out of place in a world of melee weapons. Finding the supplies to repair her inventions should they malfunction was not going to be an easy task.

_If I ever find them... _

This search was already trying her patience. Several times, she had walked through doors only to find large, square shaped rooms with nothing inside them but another door, leading to another long hallway.

"For the love of..." she scoffed as she slipped through yet another doorway, finding herself wandering through the empty halls of the stronghold. "I just do not see the point in creating long hallways if the doors they lead to will just open up into _more hallways._ Who designed this bloody building? It couldn't have hurt them to add a few more rooms here and there."

_I preferred it back when this place was in ruins. At least then the walls were torn down. At least I knew where in the bloody hell I was going._

Occasionally these hallways would come with stained glass windows. Holly came to the conclusion that the architect must have been so bored with his blueprint that he decided to throw in some decorations for the inhabitants of this place. For the life of her, she could not understand what this stronghold was supposed to be protecting after a half hour of wandering through nothing but hallways.

_On the other hand, the stained glass is the finest I've seen. Even the cathedral in the Upper City is nothing compared to these..._

And when she opened another door, she finally arrived in a much needed change of scenery. At the end of a very short hallway was an entrance to a courtyard. The temperature outside was warmer than she had expected, which meant the season was most likely in the late spring. And yet the smell of the outside world was vastly different. She couldn't put her finger on it right away, but the scent in the air smelled of rich earth, dew, and something sweet. It smelled too natural to be perfume or scented oils, and yet...

"...Flowers... is that what it is?"

Like a child, Holly found herself running from the protection of the hallway and into the courtyard, completely disregarding the guards on duty. She was already in the center of the courtyard when she felt grass under her feet. The initial surprise and shouts of the guards didn't reach her right away, although they were all making their way towards her. Like the rest of the Sarafan Stronghold, even the courtyard was bland: four small patches of grass out in the open with no flowers or gardens to speak of, so she deduced that the smell of flowers must have been carried in the wind. But her biggest surprise came when she lifted her head to the sky and saw the moon shining down on her, filling the courtyard with it's light.

There were no clouds, no smoke or smog. In Nosgoth's future, there was always a constant overcast: a sign that the land was indeed dying away. Rainfall was as scarce as sunlight and with no stars or moon to light the sky, the nights were always pitch black. And yet here was the moon and all of the stars shining down on her. There was not a single cloud in the sky as far as she could tell.

Clear skies, the stars, the moon, the smell of dirt and flowers - this was not a luxury found in the future. Rich soil meant flowers and plant life, a clear sky meant the land was not dying from pollution and other means.

_Could this mean..._

"Identify yourself! Who are you?"

The voices had finally reached her. When Holly had stopped staring at the moon, she found herself surrounded: two men with large broadswords and two women with scythes all had their weapons aimmed at her.

"Oh bloody hell, I am in my _nightgown_ of all things!" she wasn't quite sure what shocked them more; her tone, or the fact that this was probably the first time they heard her speak outside of her vegetable state. "What could you possibly find remotely threatening about an old woman in her nightgown?"

"Madam," one of the men spoke up, but did not lower his weapon. Judging by his voice, he did sound quite young. "You must understand, you came running out into the open so quickly and there are vampires-"

"Vampires? God help the vampires if they ever end up here!" Holly spat before pointing towards the door. "Who was in charge of designing this bloody place? There are so many damn hallways I'm surprised anybody could find there way out of here!" her hand twitched and she found her fingers tapping against her lips. Her frustration returned full-force when she realized she was still without her cigarettes. "If I find whoever took my cigarettes away from me I shall force-feed them to a vampire myself!"

There was silence. Long, uncomfortable, and excruciatingly awkward, but after a moment the guards saw her not as a threat more than a nuisance. If anything, they were dealing with the ramblings of a mad woman who was a step away from being locked away in the asylum. This time, a woman approached her.

"Madam Helen, was it?" it was in good fortune that the woman had remembered Holly's alias before she gave them another one. "We see that you are feeling better, but you really must not be out of bed in the hour. Shall we fetch Lord Moebius?"

It was in this moment that Holly felt a pang in her chest. This was not how she intended things to go about. Lord Moebius was indeed the Time Streamer and Time Guardian. There were several statues and paintings of him throughout the Sarafan Keep and within the pages of many history books. He was responsible for the crusade against the vampires. Perhaps if she did meet with him, something could be done about this horrible situation she found herself in.

_Or perhaps he could provide some clarification for you. Tell you what is happening in the future that you left behind. _

"...Or he could betray me... like the Sarafan Lord did..."

"What was that?" the other man, an older one this time, broke Holly's thoughts. She lifted her head in his direction, unsure of what he had just asked her. "You muttered something."

"I do that a lot._ I'm old_." was the response before she looked back at the woman. "Listen, I have had days of rest. I am not going to return to the infirmary just so I can stare at a wall some more. If you will be my guide through this dreadful excuse for architecture, I will be happy to meet with Lord Moebius. But-"

Her hand came up so quickly that the woman almost countered with the scythe. She relaxed when she realized Holly was merely pointing at her. In any other situation, Holly would have scolded her for it.

"I have survived the worst amount of pain I have had to endure for quite some time now. I have no idea where I am. I don't know who anybody is. I am stressed, and I hate this building. So if any of you have any sort of tobacco products that I could smoke, do hand them over."

There was another long silence and nobody moved an inch. Not to approach her, not to offer her anything she could smoke. All they did was stare at her, and all Holly wanted to do at that moment was to drop to the ground dead before she could even hit it.

"Take me to the bloody Timesteamer."


	5. Chapter 4

**Andronicus**

With the aid of the Sarafan soldiers, maneuvering throughout the stronghold was not as frustrating as it was before. It was dark and difficult to make out exact locations as to what part of the building she was currently located, but she kept a sharp eye on any specific markers that could help her. Who knows if she ever had to travel through this building on her own again, for whatever reason.

In addition to keeping her surroundings in mind, there was one specific detail that was made apparent to her: the Sarafan soldiers in this era were vastly different from the ones she left behind in Nosgoth's future. The men who would fight and die for her, who would protect her life and honor were very unlike the men and women she was with now. It was not unusual for strangers to dislike her upon their first meeting. She understood very well that she was eccentric, but there was a distrust and a hostility from these soldiers that troubled her. As fellow humans and Sarafan, she was expecting a sort of allegience or bond between them. It troubled her that it was not there.

_Perhaps that only happens in times where the vampires are outnumbering us._

She nodded at her own thoughts before a very sudden, unexpected idea occurred to her.

_Or perhaps I was only respected because Vladmir was respected..._

It never actually occurred to her that the soldiers loved her strictly because they loved her husband. He was brave and good, a more social and friendlier person than Holly ever was. His men loved him and naturally respected his wife before and after his death. It never occurred to Holly to think of what it could have been like if she were not married to Vladmir. Would she still be as respected? Would they still love her? Would they even listen to anything she would have to say if it were not for her husband?

"...Perhaps that's it, then." she didn't mean to speak outloud. It caused everybody around her to turn and look at her. She took a breath and looked forward. "How much farther?"

"Do not fret, we will be arriving shortly." the man closest to her responded.

Holly took this opportunity to look at him. He was very tall, perhaps nearing his middle ages, but the darkness of the hallways and his own armor kept her from seeing his facial features clearly. She could, however, see him looking back at her. His eyes were very hard and very serious. They did not break away from her, and she did not break away from looking at him. Not once did his gaze soften, nor did he show any real sign of compassion. As such, Holly glared harder before looking forward.

_Indeed. It would seem that without my beloved and his title that I am nothing more than a nuisance. Very well._

The rest of the walk lead them through several other hallways before reaching a large, winding staircase. Two soldiers went ahead while two (including the mean-eyed soldier) remained at the base of the stairs. Holly followed after her guides and was led to a large, wooden door. The female soldier knocked twice.

"Lord Moebius," she spoke, but she did not have the opportunity to finish her sentence. The door had opened, and Holly felt her heart drop in her chest.

The Timestreamer was standing in the doorway. A cold, hard, tightness formed in the pit of her stomach upon seeing him for the first time. He was around her height, but only because he was hunched forward. He appeared to be elderly, but his skin looked more snakelike than wrinkled and aged. Or perhaps she only made the comparison because of the strange staff he carried in his hand: long, with a large, red serpent coiled around it, it's mouth open and holding onto a very large orb.

No. That was not the reason for the comparison. It was his skin, but more importantly it was his eyes. White, lifeless, but focused on her, and she knew immediately that it was a mistake to come to him.

_Because the last time I had this horrible feeling... was when I met the Sarafan Lord for the first time._

"Ah, I have been expecting you." in an instant his expression softened and his voice was meek and comforting.

Holly's entire body stiffened. She would be damned if anybody in this room were to see her intimidated, but she was not about to deny that she was. What was worse is that she knew that he knew it. Oddly enough, he seemed to smile at that.

"It brings me joy to see that you have made a full recovery. By all means, my dear, do come in."

She flinched. Any fear or anxiety she had prior to this moment was gone for a split second.

_My dear? Did he honestly just say that to me?_

Without a word, Holly stepped passed the two soldiers and entered the room. There was a very apparent frustration on her face, and they both noticed it right away.

"We shall remain here, Lord Moebius, should you need us." the male soldier said, but Moebius shook his head.

"That will not be necessary. Be sure to close the door on your way back."

"Yes, sir."

Holly did not stop walking when she entered the room. She moved beyond where Moebius stood and only stopped when she was in the center of the room. She heard the door close, but did not turn to face him. She crossed her arms and her eyes shifted from one location to the next. The room was a small study: circular in shape with several bookshelves, a desk with several pieces of parchment neatly stacked ontop of it, three chairs, and a fireplace. Perhaps he held personal meetings here with his commanding officers. After closing the door, she noticed that he had waited until the footsteps of the soldiers were out of hearing range before he spoke.

"Let us agree to not lie to one another." the meek voice was still there. In her opinion, it was a very thin disguist. "I trust that you realize I know you did not give your true identity when we found you."

Holly brushed back a few strands of hair before turning to face him. He might know she was intimidated, but that didn't mean she needed to play the part.

"I trust you realize that it is horribly rude to not introduce yourself when addressing a noblewoman." her response caused him to flinch ever so slightly. "And that I am not your _dear_, I am your _lady_. Or _madam_, if you prefer."

His eyes hardened, but his smile never left his face. Holly could only assume he was going to make her pay for that. Perhaps it would be best if she tried to play it as safe as possible.

_A little late for that, old girl._

"My apologies," Moebius nodded to her, bowing his head. "I am Lord Moebius, the Timestreamer, Guardian of the Pillar of Time." he lifted his head and their eyes met again. "And how will you prefer to be addressed? Madam Helen? Or perhaps Lady Angela?"

It only made sense that he would know who she was. She didn't bother to deny it. "In private, Lady Angela. I would prefer it if your men knew me by the alias I gave them. I trust you realize why I would need one to begin with."

Moebius chuckled and stepped toward her. "I can merely see events, my _lady_, and they do not come with an insight to your charming personality or strange antics."

Holly crossed her arms. "Then let us move on. Do I even need to tell you why I am here?"

Moebius stopped a few feet infront of her. With the lighting produced by his fireplace, she could see his entire being, clear as day. He looked wicked, cruel, as mean as the snake coiled around his staff. The smile never left his face as he answered her.

"Ah yes, I trust you came to reclaim those weapons of yours, more specifically, the Nexus Stone itself?"

Her heart was pounding. Now he was just toying with her.

"I do not like having my things taken from me without my permission." was her response.

"What irony, when I do recall that the Nexus Stone was never yours to begin with." he chuckled. "That did not stop you from stealing it."

She glared back at him. "If you know I stole it, then quite frankly you should be thanking me. Had I not done that, a vampire would not have died that day, and your _murderer _would not have been engulfed in hot steam."

_That _wiped that smile off of his face, if only for a brief moment. If he was going to have her killed, he would have done it by now. That being said, she was growing bored of this game.

"If you know why I am here, why do you do this to me?" she said with a sigh. "I have traveled through Hell and back, risked everything for a chance at making things right again. I do not understand this game you are playing when we are on the same side."

"Are we?" he did not smile, and that meek voice was gone. Holly didn't flinch, but on the inside she was screaming. He quickly turned away and moved to his desk, speaking at he moved. "I know a great many things about you, my lady. I know your husband was a Sarafan knight in your time. I know that you invented and built the Ward Gates, as well as the networking system that channeled Glyph energy throughout Meridian. I know of your daughters, and their families... and I know of your relationships with certain _creatures_."

"Begging your pardon," Holly said, following after him. "But I have no relationship with _any _creature. I merely did what needed to be done in the hopes of saving human lives. Surely you can appreciate that."

_He knows about your daughters, you fool. Stop quarreling with him._

"Of course," Moebius nodded as he took his seat at his desk. He did not look at her again as he opened a drawer and rearranged the items within it. "Despite that, I'm afraid I cannot trust you with those odd weapons of yours."

Holly saw that one coming. Nevertheless, when he produced the Nexus Stone from his drawer, she couldn't help but stare at him, wide-eyed with shock.

"This, however..." he held it in his hand like a trophy, turning it this way and that, admiring it like a crown jewel. "...I believe I can trust you with this."

Her eyes remained large as they followed the stone. Moebius placed it down on the desk, right infront of him, and then moved his hand away. His eyes moved back to Holly, and she could literally taste the trouble in the air. This was no act of kindness. He was incapable of kindness. She knew that from the moment she saw him.

"...What did you do to it?" was her immediate question. It prompted a long laugh from the Timestreamer who merely shook his head at her.

"No such thing, my lady. It is exactly as it was before. You will be needing it, after all, when you leave here."

Holly stared at the stone. Her eyes never left it. She didn't even want to look at him. "And where will I be going?"

She could feel his smile even without seeing it. "Come now, Lady Angela... do you not want to see The Pillars as they are today?"

She lifted her head and stared directly at him.

Of course... of course! The clear skies, the smell of fresh earth and plantlife, and he was the Timestreamer! The Guardian of the Pillar of Time! Which meant that the Pillars were not yet corrupted.

_But why does he want you to go there?_

"And what is awaiting for me at the Pillars when I am unarmed and underdressed?" she asked and he merely shook his head again.

"You may dress yourself for the occassion, but I must insist that your weapons stay here. I'm hoping you will trust my judgment and know in good time that it is for the best."

She wanted to hit him. She wanted to hit him so badly. With very heavy sigh, she moved to his desk and pulled the stone from the desk. She glanced at it from all angles, inspecting it as closely as possible, and knew it was the same stone. She looked back at him, saw that damned smile, and her grip on the stone tightened.

"Take me to the nearest women's clothing shop."

Her form vanished before the Timestreamer and he did nothing to stop her as she left. He rose from his seat and moved towards the door.

"Try to defy me, witch. Try to escape what you brought upon yourself..."


	6. Chapter 5

**Andronicus**

_Exactly how far back in time am I?_

It would appear that in this particular era of history, the nearest clothing store was not in Provance or even Meridian, despite how close those cities were supposed to be to the Sarafan Stronghold. The closet town was Ziegstruhl, and Holly discovered later that this was because Provance and Meridian were not settlements yet. But this revelation was not her top priority; finding clothing suitable for not only her body but for the current season was.

Holly found herself in a small women's clothing store and was immediately taken aback. Women's clothing in this time seemed to be restricted to long gowns and low-cut blouses. While she had no issues with the gowns, the low-cut shirts would have revealed the many scars and bite marks left by Sebastian. High collars were not in style and scarves would attract just as much suspicion as visible bitemarks would. It would appear that if she were to attract no attention or suspicion, she would have to dress as a holy woman. The only issue with this choice of clothing would be that it was currently summertime. After everything she had been through, dying of a heatstroke was not her preferred method of leaving this life for the next.

"Well..." she sighed and held the stone in her hand. "...It would appear that dressing in men's clothing is going to be the only other alternative. So, take me to the nearest men's clothing shop."

Her body disappeared in a flash of white light and reappeared only a few shops down. Immediately she felt more comfortable, although a woman in men's clothing might attract more attention than she would have liked. The store stocked armor, mens' pants, leather boots, capes and cloaks, and a variety of shirts that covered the chest and neck appropriately. With her long hair, Holly knew that her gender would give her away and raise questions. Crossdressing was never something that was socially acceptable outside of Nosgoth's military, and even then, the choice of women's clothing in the Sarafan Lord's army was questionable. Perhaps if she hid her hair under a hood, fewer people would take notice. Even then, if she ever had to directly interact with another person, problems might arise.

"Bloody hell," she spat as she moved towards a row of shirts. "With the stone I doubt I will be doing much interaction with anybody." she pulled a dark brown shirt from a rack and held it up to her chest. "...I'd feel more comfortable sticking out like a sore thumb if I at least had my weapons on me."

It took at least an hour of trying on several different pairs of pants and boots before Holly found herself a suitable wardrobe: dark brown leather pants, a matching long sleeved shirt, black leather gloves and black knee-high boots. The shirt covered her chest, but her neck was still exposed. To fix this, she found a small mens' cloak that covered her neck and hair. The Nexus Stone was hidden beneath her shirt for safe keeping. Now that her outfit was assembled, she made a final trip to a weapon's shop and found herself a twelve-inch dagger and a holster for it that fit into her boot. Holly personally had no experience with fighting at a close range with any weapon, but traveling into these unknown lands unarmed was not something she planned on. As such, carrying a larger weapon would draw just as much attention as a woman in mens' clothing.

"Well, now that this is over with..." Holly sighed and adjusted her new cloak. "...What shall I do next?"

It was still very early in the morning. The sun had not come up and the shopkeepers were still asleep. Using the stone, she vanished from the house rather than walk out of the front door and risk being caught and arrested for thievery. It was in that moment, when she reappeared in the middle of the empty streets of Ziegstruhl, that she fully understood how far back in time she had traveled.

Holly stood frozen in both shock and amazement. Her mind could not fully accept what she was seeing.

She expected to find herself surrounded by the dirty streets of a small industrial town, the air polluted with the smog and smoke of the surrounding factories. Instead, she found herself staring at trees. Several trees, surrounding the entire town. And green grass springing up from under her boots. The air was clear and the night sky was as large and marvelous as it was when she ran into the courtyard of the Sarafan Stronghold. The stars lit up the night, not outshined by electric lights or the green glow of glyph energy.

This Nosgoth was different from the one she had left behind in every way. She viewed her once decaying and dying world in it's former beauty: a land overflowing with beauty and abundance. For a moment she was unsure if she had traveled through time at all. For all she knew, she could have died and found herself standing in paradise.

And then it occurred to her...

_...The Pillars... could they still be standing in this time?_

It would be too dark for her to locate them, and even if she were to travel there with the Nexus Stone's magic, she probably wouldn't be able to see them in this darkness. But the thought of seeing them for the first time was too tempting. In her time, the Pillars had fallen and crumbled into ruins but perhaps, just this once, she could see them for what they once were.

_...Remember why you're here, old girl. _she reminded herself. _There are more important things at hand than sightseeing. Surely that can wait for another time. _

Her eyes narrowed and she folded her arms infront of her. The town was asleep and with fewer people to stop and question her, now would be a good time to begin looking for answers. But where to begin, she was still not sure.

And then it struck her.

_Is it possible that Janos is still alive?_

Immediately her heart dropped. Janos Audron, the famed vampire menace of Nosgoth whose heart was torn from his still living body. She knew the rumors of his demonic reputation to be entirely false, but vampires were still a threat. Given that this Janos, if he still lived, would not know who she was, she was at an even greater risk. And of course, there was the Time Streamer. Holly was not entirely comfortable having a person know her every move and action even before she made it. There was something unsettling and evil about Lord Moebius. For all she knew, visiting Janos might lead to disaster. She already betrayed his trust before. Even if she thought it was for the greater good, causing him further grief would only add to her guilt.

"But what other choice do I have?" she muttered to herself. "It's not like I have many potential allies in this place..."

She stared back up at the moon, then to the trees ahead of her. Once again, she absorbed the life and beauty that surrounded her. This land was truly beautiful from what she could make of it in this dark hour. If there was ever a chance for her to bring this sort of grace back to her time, back to her children and grandchildren, wouldn't it be worth the risk? Wasn't she already risking everything by being here at all? If Janos was still alive, wouldn't it be worth asking him for his help?

_Yes._

She grabbed the Nexus Stone from beneath her shirt and took a breath. "Janos Audron's Retreat."

Once again, her body vanished and reappeared again in a new location. Because of the night's darkness and this location's complete absenece of artificial light or lanterns, she was in complete and total darkness. Not even the stars and the moonlight could guide her through this new terrain.

"Oh splendid," Holly muttered to herself. Her hands moved out infront of her as she took small steps but they met nothing but thin air. "With my luck he's probably dead in this era and I wandered into a vampire's death trap."

No sooner did she speak those very words, her hand touched something. Instinct forced her to grab onto whatever it was and she discovered that it was some kind of long metal pole that was protruding from the earth. Holly glared slightly and moved her other hand to it, sliding it down and then up whatever this artifact was. As she reached higher, she felt something different. It was softer than metal, but still very stiff. She grabbed onto it before her hand smoothed over the surface of whatever this new item was.

It didn't take long for her to realize that it was the exact shape of an adult's foot.

When her eyes adjusted to the dark better, and she saw that she was indeed holding onto the foot of what appeared to be an impaled man, she couldn't even hold back her screaming. Her hands ripped themselves away from it as she frantically threw herself backwards. She fell to the ground in pure horror, backing away from the impaled creature before her back slammed into a second pole. She looked up, saw a second body, and screamed again. In her panic she pushed herself off of the ground and broke into a sprint, blindly rushing ahead of her before slamming into something entirely different. This of course made her scream louder, especially when she felt whatever she ran into latch onto her arms. Her body trashed and whipped in every direction but it would not let her go.

"Human! Stop your screaming!"

The voice was shockingly familiar but she did not know where she had heard it from. Her eyes were wide and her heart was pounding hard and fast and the terror had not left her, but she managed to keep herself from screaming again. Her breathing was still heavy and frantic. but that seemed to be good enough for whoever was holding her.

"How did you get here? No human can teleport but the Pillar Guardians, and even then it is a-"

"Are you serious!?" Holly screamed again, only to feel the grip on her arms tighten. "I just had the life scared out of me and you want to know how I can teleport!?"

Some logical part of her brain kept her from kicking whoever it was infront of her. It turned out to be a wise choice. The use of the word "human" and the clawlike hands on her arms suggested that whoever she was dealing with was no human man. Again, that voice sounded familiar, but she knew it did not belong to Janos.

Whoever held her remained quiet until she was calmer. Even then, his grip was not welcoming or comforting. If she stupidly became a vampire prisoner, Holly knew she was going to have to use her wits to gain enough distance from him and use her stone.

"Who are you?" she asked after a long moment of silence. The creature did not answer her question but pulled her closer to him.

"You should thank whatever higher being you put your faith in that you are still alive, woman. It is merely out of curiosity and suspicion that I haven't killed you upon your arrival."

Holly glared through the darkness. Her eyes were adjusting and she could see an outline of the very tall creature who was holding her, but the details were still only shadows. Whoever this person was, he had no intention of letting her go just now.

"Now answer me," he hissed again. "How did you get here?"

Holly inhaled deeply. If she told him about the Nexus Stone and he took it away from her, she would absolutely lose her mind. There was no way in the world she was going to let this happen. What could she say that would amuse him long enough to spare her?

"I was sent here." it was a half truth, at the very least. "I was sent by a Seer."

Silence. Complete and total silence. Whoever this person was, she was not expecting him to know who the Seer was. She took a breath and continued.

"I don't know what time I am in. I don't even know if I'm in the right place. But if he is still alive, I must speak with Janos Audron."


End file.
